Woman Posts Photo Of Drawing On Rock Formation, Gets Life Ban From All National Parks

By: Mackenzie Wright | March 15, 2019

One woman is now banned from enjoying national parks across America. The San Diego woman, who claims she's an artist, was caught defacing rocks with markers and paint.

Casey Nocket, 23, went on a 26-day spree visiting national parks across the U.S. The woman drew on natural rock formations and features.

She documented her artwork and posted it to social media, telling people, "It's art, not vandalism. I am an artist."

Nature lovers and law enforcement agents did not agree with Nocket. At one point, 10,000 people signed a petition that demanded she be prosecuted.

Outraged park lovers were more than happy to point authorities in her direction.

"The defendant's defacement of multiple rock formations showed a lack of respect for the law and our shared national treasures," said prosecutor Phillip Talbert. "The National Park Service has worked hard to restore the rock formations to their natural state, completing clean-up efforts in five of the seven parks."

Parks department employees are still trying to remove Nocket's work from some of the parks. In some areas, the rock formations would be difficult to chemically clean or sandblast without destroying them.

Nocket was arrested and pleaded guilty to seven counts of defacing national parks. She has to complete 200 hours of community service, and she'll never set foot on federally preserved land again.